VOLUNTEERS WITH PASSION FOR F1

Love for the motor sport sees helping hands of S'pore GP return year after year

- Sharon Salim

A monitor lizard sauntering its way onto the track in the midst of a practice session created a buzz at the 2023 Formula One Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix.

In the thick of the alternative action was one of the volunteers serving as a race official, Susani Koh, who happens to be a part-time zookeeper.

“We took precautions to close the holes underneath the barriers with sandbags,” he told The Straits Times over a call.

Despite efforts to keep the reptile away from the track, it still made its way onto it, grabbing the attention of drivers, fans and international media alike. It met a tragic end when it was run over by one of the cars.

Other race officials joked that Koh, a part-time trainer-presenter at the Singapore Zoo and full-timer at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), must have attracted the monitor lizard to his sector because of his vocation. They even dubbed him the “lizard man”.

Although there is no official trackside role related to animal handling, the 57-year-old race official is clearly the unspoken go-to man for such incidents.

Wildlife sightings on the track include otters and birds like pigeons. “When we scare them, the birds will fly away. So that’s okay,” he said. Monitor lizards, however, are trickier. They do not get scared easily, he added.

This is Koh’s 12th outing as a volunteer at the race, serving in roles such as track marshal and flag marshal. The 2023 edition was his first as a deputy sector chief, a senior voluntary role which involves overseeing the safety and direction of race officials.

In 2024, he has 18 marshals under him, four of whom are new.

He said of his leadership role: “Last year, we were so happy to wear the senior officials tee. Being a sector chief is what I’ve been aiming for, and now this is where I am. So I am really happy.”

MOST VOLUNTEERS ARE RETURNEES